GigiMudd

Q: I will soon make our final mortgage payment. My wife will retire in two years and I will work to age 67. We are both 60 today. Because I don’t get a pension I really have been looking forward to this final payment. We bought the house 25 years ago, but I shortened the term of the loan by refinancing to a 15-year loan in 2003. Are we doing well to have the mortgage paid off by age 60?

A new trend has begun to emerge. With home prices skyrocketing in the starter home category, many first-time homebuyers are skipping the traditional starter homes and moving right into their dream homes.

Recently, our WingHaven office challenged the Northwest, Troy, and St. Charles branches to a battle for the ages. Our offices visited Wacky Warriors Paintball West in peaceful Millstadt, Illinois and duked it out, all for one of our favorite charities, The Sunshine Kids.

In this extremely hot real estate market, some homeowners might consider selling their homes on their own which is known as aFor Sale by Owner(FSBO). They rationalize that they don’t need a real estate agent and believe that they can save the fee for theservices a real estate agent offers.

This past month, we took the time to celebrate an important partnership with Select Title Group! It’s been 5 years since we teamed up together to help simplify the buying and selling process for our clients. We decided to commemorate this partnership by celebrating with the Select Title team at Cottleville Wine Seller.

Every homeowner knows they need a full range of homeowner’s insurance coverage to protect them from the many contingencies that could befall them, from liabilities related to trip hazards, fire, theft and weather events. What about vacation homes? Do these second or seasonal homes need special or heightened types of insurance protection?

A recentsurveyconducted byHarris Polland released bySunTrust Mortgagefound that“55% of homeowners with a child under the age of 18 at the time when they purchased their home said that the opinion of their offspring played a major role in their home buying decision.”

Since the creation of theVeterans Affairs(VA)Home Loans Program, over 22 million veterans have achieved the American Dream of homeownership. Many veterans do not know the details of the program and therefore do not take advantage of the benefits available to them.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Greater St. Louis region is covered in iridescent shades of gold, orange, and crimson, and we are donning our coziest sweaters, jackets, and scarves as we celebrate our big event. That’s right, it’s time for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties’ Holiday Dash for Cash!